Open-source Hearing Aid Platform Comparisons

New discoveries for hearing loss intervention are often impeded by the proprietary nature of commercial hearing aids and their use in scientific research as "black boxes". An open-source speech platform (OSP) was developed to bridge the gap between audiology research and commercial hearing aid features, to promote innovative solutions to meet the needs of the hearing loss community. The OSP can replicate functions found in commercial hearing aids, and provides tools to researchers to access those functions. The purpose of this study is to evaluate portable and cloud-based platforms of the OSP that will enable a wide range of lab and field applications. All human subjects-related activities will be conducted at Northwestern University (single-site study).

Inclusion Criteria:>= 18 years of age; any sexSensorineural hearing loss with pure-tone thresholds between 25-85 decibel hearing level (dB HL) at octave frequencies between 250 and 3000 HzSpeak English as their primary languageNormal or corrected-to-normal visionParticipants will be in good health (self-report)Exclusion Criteria:Clinically significant unstable or progressive medical conditionsParticipants who score < 23 on the cognitive screening test (Montreal Cognitive Assessment)Evidence of conductive hearing loss or middle ear issuesSignificant history of otologic or neurologic disordersNon English-speaking or non-native English speaking